Three Pirates among Gold Glove Award finalists

PITTSBURGH -- Center fielder Andrew McCutchen, left fielder Starling Marte and catcher Russell Martin were announced Friday as finalists for National League Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.

Three finalists were selected for each of the positional awards in both leagues, with the winners set to be announced Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.

McCutchen -- who earned his first Gold Glove Award last year -- and Marte are the only teammate finalists among NL outfielders. Martin is also a past recipient of the Award, having won in 2007 after his second season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Presented since 1957, the Gold Glove Awards enter a new era with the 2013 selection process, which for the first time incorporated revolutionary defensive yardsticks through collaboration with SABR.

McCutchen and Marte are both considered frontrunners for the awards at their positions. If those expectations bear out, they would be the first set of Pittsburgh outfielders to earn Gold Glove Awards since Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke in 1992.

In the estimation of many, McCutchen in 2013 became a bona fide Gold Glove outfielder after having already won one. The recognition inspired him to play up to the Award, and that was evident in his confidence to frequently leave his feet for spectacular catches and in his throwing strength and accuracy.

Among those sharing that perception was his manager.

"I think he's improved from last year -- as good as that was," Clint Hurdle said. "He came into camp wanting to improve in a couple areas, and he's definitely done it with the glove and with the routes he took, to throwing. He's been much more consistent."

McCutchen had three assists in 371 chances in 2012, and improved that to 11 assists in 338 chances this season.

A natural center fielder, Marte is a perfect fit for PNC Park's vast left field. He showcased his speed with his ability to run down drives, and Marte has the best arm of any Major Leaguer at his position.

Martin displayed all of the assets that had made the veteran backstop attractive to the Pirates, who signed him as a free agent to a two-year contract. His handling of pitchers may not be a realistic component of the defensive award, but it had a huge role in the performances that carried the Bucs to 94 wins and into the NL Division Series.

Deterring the opposition's running game does factor into a Gold Glove, and Martin came up aces there.

He threw out 36 runners -- eight more than any other Major League catcher. Some have attempted to dismiss that statistic by arguing that the reputation of other catchers -- such as that of St. Louis' Yadier Molina -- keeps opponents from testing them.

Even so, the statistics say the two are nearly identical in their ability to slow the running: Molina threw out 43 percent of 46 would-be thieves, while Martin nailed 40 percent of the 89 who tried to steal against him this year.

The complete list of finalists:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Pitcher
Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays
R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays
Doug Fister, Tigers

Catcher
Joe Mauer, Twins
Salvador Perez, Royals
Matt Wieters, Orioles

First base
Chris Davis, Orioles
Eric Hosmer, Royals
James Loney, Rays

Second base
Robinson Cano, Yankees
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
Ben Zobrist, Rays

Third base
Adrian Beltre, Rangers
Evan Longoria, Rays
Manny Machado, Orioles

Shortstop
Alcides Escobar, Royals
Yunel Escobar, Rays
J.J. Hardy, Orioles

Left field
Yoenis Cespedes, A's
Andy Dirks, Tigers
Alex Gordon, Royals

Center field
Lorenzo Cain, Royals
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
Adam Jones, Orioles

Right field
Nick Markakis, Orioles
Shane Victorino, Red Sox
Josh Reddick, A's

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pitcher
Patrick Corbin, D-backs
Zack Greinke, Dodgers
Adam Wainwright, Cardinals

Catcher
A.J. Ellis, Dodgers
Russell Martin, Pirates
Yadier Molina, Cardinals

First base
Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs
Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs

Second base
Darwin Barney, Cubs
Brandon Phillips, Reds
Mark Ellis, Dodgers

Third base
Nolan Arenado, Rockies
Juan Uribe, Dodgers
David Wright, Mets

Shortstop
Ian Desmond, Nationals
Andrelton Simmons, Braves
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

Left field
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
Starling Marte, Pirates
Eric Young Jr., Mets

Center field
Carlos Gomez, Brewers
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
Denard Span, Nationals

Right field
Jay Bruce, Reds
Jason Heyward, Braves
Gerardo Parra, D-backs